Pneumatic pump



H. L. FROST.

I PNEUMATIC PUMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, m9.

Patented Aug. 9,-1921.

3SHEETSSHEET I.

| llll/ fi w mm, 2 wwwa w z? INVENTOR' ATTOR N EY WITNESSES H. L. FROST.

PNEUMATIC PUMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24. 19H).

1,387,376. PatentedAug. 9, 1921 3SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' J0 1Y0raceL.E-ast INVENTOR WITNESSES I WWL BY ATTORNEY,

H. L. FROST.

' PNEUMATIC PUMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24.. 1919.

WITNESSES ATT ORNEY HORACE LEE FROST, 0F ELIZABETHTON, TENNESSEE.

PNEUMATIC PUMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 9, 1921.

Application filed May 24, 1919. Serial No. 299,399.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HORACE L. Fnosr, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabethton, in the county of Carter and i V Y btate of lennessee, have invented a new and useful Pneumatic Pump, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to pneumatic pumps, and its object is to provide a pump for water in which the propelling means omprises compressed air. I v

In accordance with the. invention two joined tanks or cylinders are provided and mounted to rock upon a suitable axis, the rocking being caused by the alternate buoyancy of the tanks in the. water, in which the tanks are immersed, due to compressed air forcing the water out of one tank while water is permitted to flow into the other tank. The invention includes a valve structure operated by the rocking of the tanks and directing the compressed airin proper order into the tanks, whereby the action of the pump may be continuous or intermittent in accordance with the demand, and such action is entirely automatic.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifirations mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section through the pump about midway of its width.

Fig. 2 is a section of the pump on the line I 22 of Fig. 1, but showing the air valve in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of thepump showing.

showing different operative positions of said controlling valve.

Referringto the drawings, there is shown a base 1 on opposite sides of which are erected columns 2, 3 respectively, these columns being formed of pipe since the column 2 is used for conducting air under pressure and the column 3 is used for conductingwa- .ter delivered 'by the pump, and, for convenience of construction, the columns may be wholly formed of pipe with T-couplings 4t, 5 at suitable points. The couplings 5 are joined by pipe sections or long nipples 6,

which latter are joined at their meeting ends by flangedcouplings 7 clamping an interposed d1aphragm8. The flangedcouplings 7 are held together by bolts 9, or otherwise,

with the diaphragm 8 tightly secured between them so that the upper ends of the columns 2 and 3 are rigidly united and spaced but have no communication by way of the pipe sections 6.

The T-couplings at are located close to but at a suitable distance above the base 1, and extending from the couplings 4 toward each other are pipes 10, 11 respectively, these pipes having exteriorly smooth inner ends 12, 13 respectively. The two pipes 10 and 11 enter 'alined chambers 14, 15 at opposite end portions of a casting 16 having diametrically opposite branches 18 entered by nipples 19 which are in communication through a passageway 20 in the castingv 16. The outer end oi each branch 18 is formed with 'a radially outstanding flange 21 secured to a boss 22 formed on or fast to the outer wall of a respective tank or cylinder 23, 24, there being two such cylinders at opposite ends of I the branches 18 of the casting 16. Each nipple 19 carries. a check valve 25 within the respective tanks 23 and 24-, the check valves being alike and each provided with a flap 26closing toward the interiorot the cylinder or tank. Each cylinder or tank '23 and 24- has its upper end closed by a head 27 and its lower end closed by a head 28, which head 28'has a centrally located passage 29 therethrough surrounded by a ledge 30 and provided with an interior spider 31 carrying a boss 32. There is also provided a plate valve 33 of a size to coverthe passage 29 and rest on the ledge 30. The valve 33 is held in place by a stud threaded into the boss 32 and provided with an expanded limited extent and will close onto the ledge 30.

The casting 16 constitutes a pivotal support for the cylinders or tanks 23 and 24, and packing glands 36 surround the pipes 10 and 11 to provide fluid tight joints in the pivotal support. Connected to the casting 16 and rising from the chamber 14 is a pipe 37 continued to a greater height than and located between the tanks or cylinders 23 and 24, At the upper end of the pipe 37 is an air valve 38, shown separately in Figs. 4 and 5 with certain details illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, and reference is had to the named figures for illustration of the air valve structure. Such air valve structure comprises a body member 39 which may be in the form of a cylinder terminating at one end in an outstanding fir nge 40 to which is applied a head 41 closing it and held to the flange by cap screws 42 or in any other suitable manner. The opposite end of the cylinder 39 is provided with a reduced axial extension 43 open at the outer end and the large end of the cylinder where covered by the head 41 is counterbored, for a suitable distance, as shown at 44. Communicating with the counterbore 44 is one end of a pipe 45 connected at the other end to a port 46 leading into the bore of the cylinder 39 adjacent to the reduced extension 43. The pipe 45 includes a valve 47 which may be of any suitable form, but is shown in the drawings as a spi 'ot valve, and this valve is separately shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The valve has a spigot part 48 with a through port or passage 49 and a branch passage 50 communicating with the passage 49 about midway of the'length of the latter, the ends of the passages 49 and 50 terminating at the surface of the spigot of the valve. The pipe 45, where interrupted by the valve 47, communicates with the passage 49 through ports 51 on opposite sides of the casing of the valve, and in quadrature with the ports 51 is another port 52 leading through the casing of the valve and opening to the atmosphere, the arrangement being such that in one position of the spigot member 48 the passage 49 constitutes a through passage by way of the valve for the pipe 45, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, while in another position of the spigot 48, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7, that end of the pipe 45 communicating with the counterbore 44 is open to the atmosphere through the passages 50 and 49 and port 52. V

In the reduced end 43 of the air valve there is a passage 53 opening into a groove 54 about the inner face or bore of the extension 43. In the main part of the valve. represented by the cylinder 39, the inner wall thereof is provided with adjacent circumferential grooves 55, 56. The groove 55 opens through a port 57 directly to the atmosphere and the groove 56 is in communiing with the cylinder or tank 23 through the.

head 27 thereof.

The spigot 48 of the valve 47 is provided with an operating arm 63 connected by a link 64 with a ring 65 clamped about a respective one of the pipe sections 6, the arrangement being such that the air valve may be rocked to and fro with the pipe 37 and such movement will cause a corresponding rockingof the spigot 48 of the valve 47 to place the two ends of the air valve in communication or connect the larger end of the air valve to the atmosphere.

lVithin the body portion 39 of the air valve is a sleeve 66 covering the grooves 55 and 56 and there provided with a circular series of'perforations 67 68 respectively, and this sleeve extends from, but does not cover, the port 46 into the counter-bore 44 but stops short of the head 41 so that the interior of the sleeve is in communication a with the counterbore 44 and consequently with the pipe 45. Within the smaller end 43 of the air valve is another sleeve 69 provided with a circular series of perforations 70 communieating with the groove 54.

Located inand slidable along the sleeve 66 and 69 is a piston composed of piston heads 71, 72 and 73, the latter being located within the sleeve 69 and the heads 71 and 7 2 being suitably spaced. apart and located within the sleeve 66. The several heads are provided with cup leathers or other suitable packing means and are all joined by a rod or stem 74. Between the heads 72 and'7 3 the slidable valve member has an abutment lug movable to the sleeve 69, thereby limiting the movement of the valve pistons in one direction. The range of movement of. the movable member of the air valve made up of the pistons 71, 72 and 73 is such that the piston 72 will override the perforations 68. thereby connecting the ports 57 and 58 or placing the perforations 68 and consequently the port 58 in communication with the exhaust port 57. The range of movement of the piston 73 is such that the port 53 may be placed in communication with the atmosphere through the open end of the extension 43 of the cylinder 39, or the port 53 may be closed by the piston 73 on one side and the abutment lug 75 on the other side.

Let it be assumed that the tanks are in the position shown in Fig. 1 and the main air valve 38 in the position shown in Fig. 5, and let it be further assumed that the cylinder or tank 24 is full of water with the tank 23 about empty and just beginning to fill with water. Under these circumstances the tank 23, which is connected with the air valve by way of the pipe 61, has this pipe open to the atmosphere through the port 58, groove 56, perforations 68, space between the perforations 68 and 67, groove 55, and exhaust port 57, with the atmosphere. As the tanks 23and 24 are always submerged, water will readily flow into the tank 23, which is assumed to be, at the beginning of this operation, "free from water. At the same time main air under pressure is flowing through the tube or pipe 37 into the'main air valve and by way of the perforations 70 and passage 54 through the port 53 and pipe 59 into the tank or cylinder 24. This forces water past the valve 26 and through the nipple 19' into the passage and thence by way of the pipe 11 into the column 3 to wherever the pump delivers. If the pump is to be in continuous action, as, for instance, operating to fill a reservoir, the flow will continue steadily until the cylinder or tank 24 is emptied. In the meantime, the cylinder 23 is filling. If the demand upon the water supply be intermittent then the discharge of water is intermittent but the tank or cylinder 24 is ultimately emptied although taking a longer time than where the outflow is continuous. When the buoyancy of the cylinder24 becomes suflicient to. overcome the: cylinder 23 and parts controlled thereby together with the friction of rocking or sliding parts, the cylinder 23 will drop and the cylinder 24 will be raised. This causes a corresponding bodily movement of the air valve 38 and the change in theposition of the spigot 48 of the valve 47 from the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6 to the position shown in Figs.

, 4 and 7. That face of the piston 71 toward the head 41 is now open to the atmosphere by the change in position of the spigot 48, the said space communicating with the atmosphere through the counterbore 44, pipe 45, passages 50 and 49 to the port 52 which is constantly open to theatmosphere. Now the superior pressure on the piston 72 due to air under pressure over the pressure on the outer face of the piston 71 causes the movement of the air valve toward the head 41,

moving the piston 7 3 in a like direction, the air pressure on the piston 7 3 being considerably inferior to the pressure on the piston 7 2 because of the relatively small size of the piston 73 where subjected to the action of the compressed air. The movable structure in the air valve is therefore forced to the position shown in Fig- 4, thereby separating the port 58 from the port 57 because of the interposition of the valve :72; The pipe 45 being now out off from the main air pipe by the valve spigot ofthe auxiliaryvalve 47 the main air pressure is directed through the perforations 68 into the groove 56 and so toand through the port 58, which latter is connected by the pipe 61 to the cylinder 23 and the cylinder 24 is connected by the pipe 59, port 53, groove 54, and perforations 70, with the atmosphere, through the'now open end of the extension 43.

Under suchposition of the parts the cyl- I inder 24 is open to the atmosphere so that 'water will naturally open the valve 33 and flow into the cylinder with the air in the cylinder readily escaping to the atmosphere,

and while this is occurring air under pressure is directed into the cylinder 23 by way of the pipes 2 and 37, perforations 68, groove 56, port 58, and pipe 61. The water in the and the pump returns to the first condition,

whereupon the operation, already described is repeated, such operation being slow or. rapid in accordance with the outflow of water. Where the demand upon the pump is continuous and full the pump acts with considerable rapidity. Where the demand is small, as, for instance, in households where spigots are opened occasionally, the operation of the pump is correspondingly slow; Nevertheless the operation of the pump is sure and requires no attention whatsoever, being wholly automatic. What is claimed is 1. An automatic pneumatic pump having a compressed air inlet and a water outlet, a

rockable pair of cylinders or tanks for submero'ence in a body of water and having inwardly opening valves for access of water to thetanks,and an air valve rockable with the tanks and arranged for connection with a source of air under pressure, said air valve comprising a differential piston structure and having air connections with the tanks controlled by the piston structure, and an auxiliary valve structure carried by the air valve and responsive to rocking movements of the cylinders and air valve to direct air under pressure to the cylinders in alternation and connect the cylinders in similar manner to the atmosphere.

2. An automatic pneumatic pump comprising a rockable palr of connected tanks or cylinders for receiving and discharging water and designed to be submerged in a 8 body of water, a supporting frame for the tanks including columns constituting air and water plpes, connectlons between the pipes andthetanks for conductingair to and water from the tanks by way of the columns and also constituting the pivotal support for the tanks, and an air valve connected to the air side of the pivotal support and participating in the rocking movements oi the tanks, said air valve .being provided with a reciprocatory piston structure and with air ports and connections to the tanks and the air valve participating in the rocking movements of the tanks for causing the directed air and water ducts carrying the first-named duct and constituting a pivotfor the tanks, pneumatically operated valve structure participating in the rocking movements of the tanks and connected to the air duct and to the respective tanks, and means responsive to the rocking movements of the tanks for controlling the flow of air through the valve structure.

4. A pneumatic pump comprising a pair of tanks or cylinders, with a duct joining them and at the ends provided with check valves opening away from the interiors of the cylinders, said duct being provided with oppositely directed swivel connections, air and water ducts entering and supporting the swivel connections whereby the latter constitute a pivot support for the tanks on which the tanks may rock, a pneumatically operated valve structure connected to the air duct and participating in the rocking movements of the tanks, said structure having air connections to both tanks, and means responsive to the rocking movements 01. the tanks for controlling the flow of air from the air duct to the tanks in alternation.

5. A pneumatic pump comprising a pair of tanks or cylinders, with a duct joining them and at the end provided with check valves opening away from the interiors of the cylinders. said duct being provided with oppositely directed swivel connections, air and water ducts entering and supporting the swivel connections whereby the latter constitute a pivot support for the tanks on which the tanks may rock, a pneumatically operated valve structure connected to the air duct and participating in the rocking movements of the tanks, said structure having air connections to both tanks, and means responsive to the rocking movements of the tanks for controlling the flow of air from the air duct to the tanks in alternation, said valve structure including means whereby air directed to the tanks may be exhausted therefrom to permit the filling of the tanks with water.

6. In a pneumatic pump having rockably mounted tanks, and avalve structure comprising a cylinder with a bore smaller at one end than at the other, a piston within the cylinder having longitudinally spaced heads at one end to fit the larger bore, and a single head at the other end to fit the smaller bore, the cylinder having longitudinally disposed ports in position to be overridden by certain of the heads, and a valved by-pass between the end portions of the larger part of the cylinder with means for controlling the valve in the by-pass by rocking movements of the tanks.

7 In a pneumatic pump having rockably mounted tanks, and a valve structure par: ticipating in the rocking movements of the tanks and comprising a cylinder with a bore smaller at one end than at the other, a reciprocable piston in the cylinder with longitudinally spaced heads to fit the larger bore anda single head to fit the smaller bore, said cylinder having longitudinally spaced ports in position to be overridden by certain of the heads, and a by-p-ass between the end portions of the larger part of the valvecylinder and controlled by the rocking movements of the tanks and valve structure.

8. A pneumatic pump comprising rockable tanks joined for alternate filling and discharge and adapted to be submerged in a body of Water, and a valve structure carried by the tanks and participating in the rocking movements thereof, said valvestructure comprising a cylinder With a bore largerat one endthanat the other, a piston reciprocable' in the bore and having atone end longitudinally spacedheads to fit the larger part of the bore and a single head at the other end to fit the smaller part of the bore, said cylinder having longitudinally disposed ports in position to be overridden by certainjof the heads, with certain of the ports opening to the atmosphere and others of the ports connected to the respective tanks, and means controlled by the rocking movements of the tanks and valve cylinder to divert air under pressure in alternation to the cylinders and to similarly exhaust air from the cylinders.

9. A pneumatic pump comprising a rockable pair of joined tanks adapted to be submerged in water, and a valve structure carried by the tanks and participating in the rocking movements, said valve structure comprising a cylinder having a bore smaller at one end than at the other, the cylinder also having intermediately located compressed air and exhaust ports in the larger part of the cylinder, a valved by-pass between the ends of the larger part of the cylinder, compressed air and'exhaust ports in the smaller' end of the cylinder, and a 10. A pneumatic pump comprising a rockable pair of joined tanks, a support carrying the tanks and in which it'is rockable, said support including an inlet duct for compressed air and an outlet duct for water, and a valve structure interposed between the compressed air ducts and the tanks, said valve structure comprising acylinder with a bore of different sizes at oppositeends, a reciprocable piston within the cylinder 'having heads of different sizes corresponding to the different bores of the cylinder, spaced air and exhaust ports in the cylinder with l the air ports connected to respective tanks,

and a by-pass between opposite ends of the larger part of the cylinder and provided with a valve responsive to rocking movements of the tanks and valve structure, whereby the rocking of the tanks causes the alternate feeding of compressed air to the tanks and the escape of used air therefrom.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature. I

HORACE LEE FROST. 

